Engelbert Humperdinck's "Hansel and Gretel" was first produced in 1891, and for many children it has served as a first introduction to the world of opera. While the plot has no real religious overtones, it was first devised as a Christmas entertainment for the extended Humperdinck family, and it is often presented at holiday time. In fact, the Metropolitan Opera typically produces it each December, and if you miss this production a DVD of the company's 2008 high definition theatrical showing is available.

But, seeing any performance live is better, and you have the opportunity to see a good version of "Hansel and Gretel" now through Sunday the 22nd, produced by the Lyric Opera of San Diego at their home, the North Park Theatre, on University near 30th Street.

Graphic courtesy

The Lyric Opera of San Diego

The Humperdinck opera uses the Grimm brothers version of the tale as a jumping off point, but it tends to play down the darkest elements of that version. Hansel and Gretel are children of a hardworking but poor broom maker and his wife. The family is always struggling to keep food on the table, but the children are happy and playful. When their antics result in breaking a pitcher of milk that was to have served as the basis for their dinner, their mother sends them to the forest to pick wild strawberries so that the family may have something to eat. Once in the forest, however, Hansel and Gretel become lost, but they are protected as they sleep overnight by the animals and watched over by guardian angels, whose prayer constitutes the main musical theme of the opera.

In the morning, the children discover a house that they had not seen in the darkness. Investigating, they find that it is made from gingerbread, and the hungry Hansel decides to eat some of it. The owner of the house discovers them and is enraged that Hansel is eating her house. She is a witch, though at first she seems to be a benign old woman. The witch casts a spell on the children and locks Hansel in a cage to "fatten him up." It becomes clear that the witch plans to throw both Hansel and Gretel into her baking oven and then eat them. Gretel manages to open the cage lock while the witch is distracted, however, and the two children push the witch into the oven instead. The witch comes out covered in gingerbread, but her death breaks the spell that she cast on many other children, who emerge from their gingerbread shells. Hansel and Gretel's mother and father arrive just as the children's celebration of freedom has begun.

The Lyric's artistic director, J. Sherwood Montgomery, has created a production that emphasizes the traditional German folk elements of the opera. The sets are straightforward, and he's made no attempt to modernize the story or to make it into anything but a fairy tale. His staging, too, tells the story in a direct manner and provides enough visual reinforcement so that one can follow the story easily by reading the synopsis for each act (the opera is sung in English, but as in any sung text what is being sung is not always clear--and, there are no supertitles provided). There's even a bit of magic, and the ubiquitous "Flying by Foy" company does its usual professional job with its specialty. Mr. Montgomery also uses well a corps of children who were enrolled in the Lyric's Summer Academy program. They not only portray the non-singing animals and angels, but they also function as a children's chorus in the finale.

The principles are a mix of local singers and rising young opera artists. San Diego native Kate Oberjat displayed a bright tone and ringing high notes as Gretel, while Hai-Ting Chinn's tone was darker and more covered as Hansel, creating something of a mismatch in their duets. But, Ms. Chinn made for a very watchable boy, all gangling arms and legs (though, for someone who had two left feet in Act 1, Hansel had been magically transformed into something of a dancer by the finale). As their parents, Scott Gregory's tenor rang throughout the house, and his diction was impeccable, while Pamela Porter Arnold's diction suffered by comparison. Young singers Caroline Nelms and Max Oilman-Williams covered the smaller roles of the Dew Fairy and the Sandman in good fashion.

Company Director Leon Natker portrayed the witch in this production. Mr. Natker created a memorable character, thanks in great measure to a wonderful costume by Pam Stompoly-Ericson, but the range of the role exceeded his capabilities, turning his voice pinched and out of tune on both the high and low notes. Probably few noticed this lapse, however, or found that it mattered if they did.

Kelly Kuo conducted a 28-piece orchestra that had been contracted for these performances. The winds, which Mr. Humperdinck featured in his score, displayed fluidity throughout. The strings sounded more hesitant, however, and their tone and pitch suffered in places.

A good number of children saw the performance I attended, and they seemed interested and engaged throughout the two hour running time. "Hansel and Gretel" can serve as a way of stimulating a love of opera for children, and I hope that this production will serve that function for a good many.

DOWNLOAD CAST, CREDITS, AND BIOS HERE